The present invention is directed toward a mounting bracket for securing a roof ring to the roof of a grain bin, and more particularly to an improved mounting bracket that more rigidly secures the roof ring to a grain bin roof.
Roof rings are known in the art and are attached to the roof of a grain bin to add greater strength to the roof in order to handle both wind and snow loads. Under high winds it is particularly critical that the roof ring is rigid and maintains its integrity. If the ring loses its integrity or roundness its strength will decrease which potentially could lead to the collapse of the bin roof.
Various mounting brackets have been used to secure the roof ring to the bin roof. One such bracket, as shown in FIG. 1 has a clip portion with an arcuate notch that frictionally receives the roof ring tubing. While it is easy to install the roof ring with this bracket, under high wind and snow loads the ring occasionally may become dislodged from the arcuate notch.
Other mounting brackets have been used that have an aperture through which the ring is inserted or a bracket that completely surrounds the roof ring. While these brackets provide a more rigid connection, installation is more difficult as the exact number of brackets must be slipped over the ring prior to installation. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved roof ring mounting bracket.
Therefore, a principal objective of the present invention is to provide a mounting bracket that allows for both easy installation and a rigid connection of a roof ring to the roof of a grain bin.
This and other objectives will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the following description.